Welcome to Debbie's Stories!
Crossing Fifty-One will be published by Koehler Books in June, 2023.
Watch this space for preorder info!
Crossing Fifty-One: Not Quite a Memoir
How do we value a life? How do family patterns and relationships influence our sense of self-worth? How do we let go of past pain and create the future of our dreams? In this poignant family saga, Debbie Russell describes her own midlife crisis as well as her grandfather’s - a meticulously documented four months stay in a locked federal drug rehab program.
* * *
A week before Christmas 1951, Dr. Ralph Russell, a successful San Diego surgeon, risked everything to voluntarily enter a locked federal drug-treatment facility, known as a “Narcotic Farm.”
Sixty-five years later, his granddaughter Debbie suffers a debilitating crisis of identity when her father, (Dr. Russell’s oldest son) always her biggest fan, is accepted into hospice.
Debbie's investigation into her paternal lineage reveals family secrets and ignites her mother's volatile outbursts, propelling her into therapy.
When therapy fails her, the grandfather Debbie never knew saves her, and she collaborates with her dying father one last time to make her biggest dream come true.
Early Praise for Crossing Fifty-One!
The Booklife Prize
Greg Fields, award winning author of Through the Waters and the Wild
Deborah Burns, award winning author of Saturday's Child
"The author's father is wonderfully painted - supportive and optimistic, even as he is placed on hospice care.
Readers intrigued by genealogical research, or who are also facing the realities of aging parents, will find the work to be edifying and engaging."
Deborah Burns, award winning author of Saturday's Child
Greg Fields, award winning author of Through the Waters and the Wild
Deborah Burns, award winning author of Saturday's Child
"The generational threads that can bind us together or tear us apart take center stage in this raw and honest mid-life reckoning.
A universal tale of family secrets and love in the face of dysfunction--and how the lessons from the past can come back around to save our futures."
Greg Fields, award winning author of Through the Waters and the Wild
Greg Fields, award winning author of Through the Waters and the Wild
Greg Fields, award winning author of Through the Waters and the Wild
"This debut author has created a replication of a flawed and bruised family dynamic that reads like a novel and carries a universality that is quite human, and extremely well developed."
Debbie's Blog
Copyright © 2023 Debbie Russell - All Rights Reserved.
Sign Up for Debbie's Stories!
As my welcome gift to you, I will send you the first chapter from “Crossing Fifty-One: Not Quite a Memoir.”
You’ll also receive my monthly newsletter “But I Digress…” where I will share updates on my journey to publication, as well as the occasional short inspirational story, dog/garden/wildlife photo, or one of my unique observations about this thing we call life.
Your subscriber info will ALWAYS remain private and never shared. PROMISE!